Crash victim awarded record £11m payout

Wasim Mohammed, from Walsall, in the West Midlands, has been awarded a compensation package worth 11.15m after he was left paralysed in a car accident in 2006.

Daniel Herman, a catastrophic injury specialist at Stewarts Law, in Leeds, represented Mr Mohammed in the case brought against the driver of a vehicle involved in the collision.

Mr Herman said the record out of court settlement, announced yesterday, was divided into a lump sum payment of 4.25m and annual payments of 235,000 to pay for the 22-year-old's care for the rest of his life.

"I am pleased that Wasim has secured such a good settlement," Mr Herman said.

The size of the payout reflected the severity of Mr Mohammed's injuries and the fact that he will need constant care for the rest of his life. "Part of the settlement will go towards building Wasim a purpose-built house opposite his parents' home," Mr Herman added.

"He comes from a traditional Pakistani family where part of the culture is that the eldest son remains in the family home to look after his parents in old age. That is now impossible given the extent of his injuries and his care needs, so this allows him to do the next best thing."

Mr Mohammed was only five days away from his 19th birthday when he was travelling in the passenger seat of a car being driven in excess of the speed limit.

The driver attempted to overtake another car at a junction but collided with it as the other vehicle turned right and then ploughed into a wall.

The accident left Mr Mohammed a tetraplegic.

He has very little function in his arms and no function in his legs and needs two carers to help with most everyday activities such as getting out of bed.